ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday paid his tribute to Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa saying he was one of the greatest jurists produced by Pakistan.

In a tweet shortly after the Supreme Court allowed in its three-page short order a conditional six-month extension in service to Chief of Army Staff, Imran Khan said PTI was the first party to advocate an independent judiciary and rule of law, 23 years ago.

The prime minister said he was jailed for independence of the judiciary when his party had spearheaded the movement for independence of the judiciary in 2007.

However, Imran Khan mocked those expecting instability in the country due to a “clash between institutions”.

“Today must be a great disappointment to those who expected the country to be destabilised by a clash of institutions. That this did not happen must be of special disappointment to our external enemies & mafias within,” he tweeted.

“Mafias who have stashed their loot abroad and seek to protect this loot by destabilising the country.”

During the intervals in the proceedings of case, the prime minister remained engaged with the government’s legal team over the conditions set out by the apex court for allowing extension to the Army Chief.

The three-judge bench headed by Justice Khosa announced the short order and ruled that the COAS will serve for six more months based on the undertaking submitted by the government.

The undertaking states that the parliament will draft legislation on the issue of an Army Chief’s tenure within six months.

In a rare move, the top court on Tuesday had suspended for a day the government’s notification of reappointment of General Bajwa for another three-year term.

The SC took up an application, submitted by The Jurist Foundation, seeking withdrawal of a petition against the extension/reappointment of the army chief.

Counsel Riaz Hanif Rahi had requested the apex court to declare the government notification as null and void, and illegal.

However, the CJP rejected the application and took up the petition under Article-184 (3) of the Constitution as it involved a question of “public importance”. The court issued notices to the federal government, the defence ministry, and the Army Chief.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on November 21, the notification for General Qamar’s reappointment was issued on August 19, which said that he would continue to serve as COAS until November 2022.